Deer question
 

Lots of deer in the neighborhood. In your experience, if you plant deer
resistant plants along with plants deer like, are they smart enough to find
the ones they like amongst the ones they don't ?

This might be a silly question, to some, but I really don't know the answer.
Thank you.

"Jack" wrote in message news:Ktzfe.5485$EC6.440@trndny06...
Lots of deer in the neighborhood. In your experience, if you plant deer
resistant plants along with plants deer like, are they smart enough to
find the ones they like amongst the ones they don't ?

This might be a silly question, to some, but I really don't know the
answer. Thank you.



Based on my experience so far, they observe us from a distance during the
day, make note of which plants we seem to love the most, and then target
those plants and night.

Pass the ammo.

some species are like salad to them ...last season I was watching from
this puter desk at 4 in afternoon on a sunny day watching two full size
deer munching my tulips down to the ground ...mid summer they were
eating sunflower plants that were four feet high ..they love to dig
thru snow to munch on neighbors myrtle, but only eat the leaves and the
plants come back in full. Iris only when fresh sprouts are 5 inches
high. They wont touch daffodils

depending on how harsh the winter ..they will eat rhodadendron ..flower
buds and leaves

netting is a pain to put up and take down/store

my solution ...single strand of electric fence wire wrapped around 24
inch fiberglass tent pole section ( spool of surplus fine guage bare
wire... rewind around coffee can for reuse) ...I move it from
decorative foundation plants in winter to veg garden in summer

Stew Corman from sunny Endicott

wrote in message
oups.com...
some species are like salad to them ...last season I was watching from
this puter desk at 4 in afternoon on a sunny day watching two full size
deer munching my tulips down to the ground ...mid summer they were
eating sunflower plants that were four feet high ..they love to dig
thru snow to munch on neighbors myrtle, but only eat the leaves and the
plants come back in full. Iris only when fresh sprouts are 5 inches
high. They wont touch daffodils

depending on how harsh the winter ..they will eat rhodadendron ..flower
buds and leaves

netting is a pain to put up and take down/store

my solution ...single strand of electric fence wire wrapped around 24
inch fiberglass tent pole section ( spool of surplus fine guage bare
wire... rewind around coffee can for reuse) ...I move it from
decorative foundation plants in winter to veg garden in summer

Would also be my response. In worst part of winter they will eat anything.
Deer never starve without a full stomach - full of vegetation that supplies
little nutrients to them.

wrote in message
oups.com...
some species are like salad to them ...last season I was watching from
this puter desk at 4 in afternoon on a sunny day watching two full size
deer munching my tulips down to the ground ...mid summer they were
eating sunflower plants that were four feet high ..they love to dig
thru snow to munch on neighbors myrtle, but only eat the leaves and the
plants come back in full. Iris only when fresh sprouts are 5 inches
high. They wont touch daffodils

depending on how harsh the winter ..they will eat rhodadendron ..flower
buds and leaves

netting is a pain to put up and take down/store

my solution ...single strand of electric fence wire wrapped around 24
inch fiberglass tent pole section ( spool of surplus fine guage bare
wire... rewind around coffee can for reuse) ...I move it from
decorative foundation plants in winter to veg garden in summer

Stew Corman from sunny Endicott


How high do you place your wire for deer? I'm headed to a farm supply store
this week, and without advice, I'll probably do my usual overkill. In this
case, that would mean wire every 12" beginning at ground level, up to about
10 feet, and a separate set of supports for razor wire and grenades. But I
suspect I don't need to get quite that involved.

"Frank Logullo" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
some species are like salad to them ...last season I was watching from
this puter desk at 4 in afternoon on a sunny day watching two full size
deer munching my tulips down to the ground ...mid summer they were
eating sunflower plants that were four feet high ..they love to dig
thru snow to munch on neighbors myrtle, but only eat the leaves and the
plants come back in full. Iris only when fresh sprouts are 5 inches
high. They wont touch daffodils

depending on how harsh the winter ..they will eat rhodadendron ..flower
buds and leaves

netting is a pain to put up and take down/store

my solution ...single strand of electric fence wire wrapped around 24
inch fiberglass tent pole section ( spool of surplus fine guage bare
wire... rewind around coffee can for reuse) ...I move it from
decorative foundation plants in winter to veg garden in summer

Would also be my response. In worst part of winter they will eat
anything.
Deer never starve without a full stomach - full of vegetation that
supplies
little nutrients to them.



In the wilderness, far from people, what's their version of a half gallon of
ice cream? Berries?

I have had good results with a product call "liquid fence"
give it a try
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
some species are like salad to them ...last season I was
watching from
this puter desk at 4 in afternoon on a sunny day watching
two full size
deer munching my tulips down to the ground ...mid summer
they were
eating sunflower plants that were four feet high ..they
love to dig
thru snow to munch on neighbors myrtle, but only eat the
leaves and the
plants come back in full. Iris only when fresh sprouts
are 5 inches
high. They wont touch daffodils

depending on how harsh the winter ..they will eat
rhodadendron ..flower
buds and leaves

netting is a pain to put up and take down/store

my solution ...single strand of electric fence wire
wrapped around 24
inch fiberglass tent pole section ( spool of surplus fine
guage bare
wire... rewind around coffee can for reuse) ...I move it
from
decorative foundation plants in winter to veg garden in
summer

Stew Corman from sunny Endicott


How high do you place your wire for deer? I'm headed to a
farm supply store
this week, and without advice, I'll probably do my usual
overkill. In this
case, that would mean wire every 12" beginning at ground
level, up to about
10 feet, and a separate set of supports for razor wire and
grenades. But I
suspect I don't need to get quite that involved.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"Frank Logullo" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
some species are like salad to them ...last season I was watching from
this puter desk at 4 in afternoon on a sunny day watching two full size
deer munching my tulips down to the ground ...mid summer they were
eating sunflower plants that were four feet high ..they love to dig
thru snow to munch on neighbors myrtle, but only eat the leaves and the
plants come back in full. Iris only when fresh sprouts are 5 inches
high. They wont touch daffodils

depending on how harsh the winter ..they will eat rhodadendron ..flower
buds and leaves

netting is a pain to put up and take down/store

my solution ...single strand of electric fence wire wrapped around 24
inch fiberglass tent pole section ( spool of surplus fine guage bare
wire... rewind around coffee can for reuse) ...I move it from
decorative foundation plants in winter to veg garden in summer

Would also be my response. In worst part of winter they will eat
anything.
Deer never starve without a full stomach - full of vegetation that
supplies
little nutrients to them.



In the wilderness, far from people, what's their version of a half gallon
of
ice cream? Berries?

Deer love acorns. Also, place I used to hunt had wild old apple tree in
woods before corn field. Deer would stop at this tree before going after the
corn. I fight with the local deer over my chestnuts. One afternoon I had
to chase them away 4 times even to the point of throwing a rock at them.
Deer are browsers and the whole world is a buffet line to them ;)
Frank

"How high do you place your wire for deer? "

around the front yard for decoratives ie tulips and myrtle, a single
strand about 20 inches high was sufficient.
For taller shrubs and rhodadendrun a second strand at 3 feet did the
job, but was placed two feet in front of shrubs so they couldn't eat
over it.

neighbor has fancy daylily beds 40 feet across ...that single 3 foot
strand keeps them out

note: they don't jump over a live wire ..they munch on grass nearby and
meander towards the good stuff ...either their ears or wet nose tounch
the fence and they bolts backwards 10+ feet ...something to watch
grin

if you try to keep rabbits out with a low wire ie 6 inches ...you
better mulch down that area so weeds don't short it out

I leave mine on 24/7 at garden unless I am there and then I turn it off

BTW ..I am NOT talking about running barbwire type weight heavy wire
....I got a 1000ft spool of cheap surplus galvanized steel fine guage
wire that is strong enough so you can't just break it in your hands
....easy to handle and wind up ..if you are buying from farm supply, get
the lightest and cheapest they sell.

Stew Corman from sunny Endicott

You guys need a bigger freezer.

wrote in message
oups.com...
You guys need a bigger freezer.


I know what you mean. I'd be perfectly happy with camping in the yard and
waiting for them with a shotgun, but unfortunately, I have neighbors who
like to complain about the littlest things.

"Doug Kanter" wrote:

I know what you mean. I'd be perfectly happy with camping in the yard and
waiting for them with a shotgun, but unfortunately, I have neighbors who
like to complain about the littlest things.

Here in Pennsylvania, the game local game warden actually recommends
that people in urban areas get their neighbors to get a licensed hunter
to get permission to reduce a nuisance herd. The game commission
authorizes the hunter to do this. The hunter gets signed waivers from
the home owners waiving the restriction on hunting near homes. Then the
licensed hunter gets on a roof of a home and shoots them with a bow and
arrow or cross bow. Since he is shooting down toward the ground, even
if he misses, there is no risk as long as pets and children are kept in.
Usually this is done at night, so the children are in bed asleep. In
some areas it can be done during the day; the deer are that bold. The
risk of lyme disease is much worse than the risk of having a
archer-sniper reducing the herd. That is the only control the game
commissioner says works here other than 7' high fences. He says that he
has seen them eventually figure out every other type of control.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

"Stephen Henning" wrote in message
...
"Doug Kanter" wrote:

I know what you mean. I'd be perfectly happy with camping in the yard and
waiting for them with a shotgun, but unfortunately, I have neighbors who
like to complain about the littlest things.

Here in Pennsylvania, the game local game warden actually recommends
that people in urban areas get their neighbors to get a licensed hunter
to get permission to reduce a nuisance herd. The game commission
authorizes the hunter to do this. The hunter gets signed waivers from
the home owners waiving the restriction on hunting near homes. Then the
licensed hunter gets on a roof of a home and shoots them with a bow and
arrow or cross bow. Since he is shooting down toward the ground, even
if he misses, there is no risk as long as pets and children are kept in.
Usually this is done at night, so the children are in bed asleep. In
some areas it can be done during the day; the deer are that bold. The
risk of lyme disease is much worse than the risk of having a
archer-sniper reducing the herd. That is the only control the game
commissioner says works here other than 7' high fences. He says that he
has seen them eventually figure out every other type of control.

I have a neighbor who bow hunts, and practices by hitting bottle caps from
about 75', successfully, I might add. Maybe he's interested....

My town brings in hunters for herd control, but only in a large park area
about 5 miles away. Not enough, though.